February 11, 2003

Hamas, the group that would like to replace Arafat's rule, has this to say:

GAZA CITY: The spiritual leader of the violent Islamic group Hamas on Friday told demonstrators carrying posters of Saddam Hussein that any American forces invading Iraq must be "buried" there.

Israel's army chief, meanwhile, said he believes US forces already assembled in the region would be sufficient for an offensive against Iraq and that such a strike could come by next month.

In Gaza City, about 1,500 Palestinians, including many Hamas supporters, marched in support of Iraq after Muslim prayers.

Marchers set fire to Israeli and US flags. A man shouted through a loudspeaker: "Oh people of Iraq, stand and be patient. Liberation is upon you. Oh people of Iraq, Hamas is coming to save you." Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the ailing, wheelchair-bound Hamas leader, told the crowd that war on Iraq is a war against all Muslims.[more]note: an article similar to this has already been posted but given what may prove an internal struggle among the Palestinians I deemed this worth re-posting.